Kovalan, the son of a wealthy merchant, Maasaathuvasn in Kavirippattinam, married Kannagi, the lovely daughter of another merchant. They lived together happily in the city of Kaveripoompattinam, until Kovalan met the dancer Madhavi and fell in love with her. In his infatuation he forgot Kannagi and gradually spent all his wealth on the dancer. At last, penniless, Kovalan realised his mistake, and returned back to Kannagi. Their only asset was a precious pair of anklets (cilambu--- hence the name of the epic), filled with gems, which she gave to him willingly. With these as their capital they went to the great city of Madurai, where Kovalan hoped to recoup his fortunes by trade. Poompuhar is a town in the southern part of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. ... Madurai (மதுரை in Tamil) is a city and a municipal corporation situated on the banks of River Vaigai in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. ...

The city of Madurai was ruled by the Pandya king Neduncheziyan. Upon arrival to Madurai, Kovalan set out to sell Kannagi's anklets. While on his way to sell the anklet, he was held by the king's guards for the alleged theft of the queen's anklet. It was the court goldsmith who had robbed the queen's anklets. Unaware of this, the king ordered to behead Kovalan for the theft and eventually Kovalan was killed. The Pandyan kingdom was an ancient state at the tip of South India, founded around the 6th century BCE. It was part of the Dravidian cultural area, which also comprised other kingdoms such as that of the Pallava, the Chera, the Chola, the Chalukya and the Vijayanagara. ... An anklet, or ankle bracelet, is an ornament worn around the ankle. ... King George V of the United Kingdom and his consort, Queen Mary A queen consort is the wife and consort of a reigning king. ... A goldsmith creating a new ring A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with precious metals, usually to make jewelry. ...